Edward s



(No Model.)-

. E. s. MAHONEY; FOOT GUARD FOR FROGS, GUARD RAILS, AND SWITCHES.

Patented May 13, 1890 Jizven to .1 A fegi/ Edward ,JJ M50727,

ar/ e; 730352.59, C33

way

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD S. MAHONEY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO JOSEPH J. MILLER, OF SAME PLACE.

FOOT-GUARD FOR FROGS, GUARD-RAILS, AND SWITCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,884, dated May 13, 1890.

Application filed February 3, 1890. Serial No. 339,013. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: tion to which itis forced under the pressure of BeitknownthatLEDWARD S. MAHONEY, of the wheel-flanges of the passing train; and the city of St. Louis,in the State of Missouri, Fig. IX is an enlarged perspective View of have invented a certain new and useful Imthe footguard that seals the foot-trap in front 5 provement in Foot-Guards for Frogs, Guardof the point-rails of the frog, and shows its Rails, Switches, &c., of which the following is rearwardly tending bifurcated re enforce a full, clear, and exact description, reference spring with the T-flange that hangs pendent being had to the accompanying drawings, from its forward end: forming part of this specification. Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the 10 This invention relates to devices for seal line-rails; 2, the guard-rails; 3, the point-rails ingor closing thefoot-trapsthat are presented or frog; 4, the filling that embeds the frog,

by the tapering apertures that are necessary and 5 the ties. to the formation of frogs, guard rails, 6 represents the foot-guards, which are prefswitches, &c., the devised sprin -steel footerably made of spring-steel. 7 are the spike- I 5 guards being sprung down by the flanges of holes in the attachment-base of said footthe wheels of passing trains and springing guards,and8are the spikes by which saidfootup again instantaneously after the passage of guards are secured to the ties, and 9 are the the train; and the invention consists in fealaterally-extending T-fianges at or near the tures of novelty hereinafter fully described, forward ends of said footguards,which,when 7c 20 and pointed out in the claims. the foot-guard is depressed by the flange of Figure .I is a top view of the guard-rails the wheels of passing trains, rests on the footwith my foot-guard secured in position to flanges of the rails and stiffens the spring of seal the traps thereto. Fig. II is a top view said foot-guard, and also said T-flange preof a frog with my foot-guards secured thereto, vents the elevation of the foot-guard above 25 and shows the guard-plate secured between its required normal position flush with the the crotch-rails. Fig. III is a vertical section summit of the rail, so that it is thus securely taken on line III III, Fig.1, and also shows held from projection above the rails, and. the foot-guard spring in its normal elevated therefore cannot trip the switchman. position about flush with the top of the rails. The foot-guards may be n1ade,as shown in 30 Fig. IV is an enlarged perspective View of Fig. IV, of a single integral piece of springone of my foot-guards, as shown in Fig. I, steel, or may be constructed, as shown in and made of sufficiently heavy spring-steel Figs. V, VI, VII, and IX, with supplemental to require no additional spring, and shows springs beneath them to re-enforce their stiffthe laterally-extending flange on the forward ness. WVhen formed of a single piece of 3 5 end thereof that rests when depressed by the spring-steel,the foot-guard is preferablymade flange of the wheel on the foot-flange of the of somewhat heavier material. It may be rail. Fig. V is a like view and shows a reaboutthree-eighths of an inch in thickness; enforcing spring that projects forward bebut when supplemental springs are attached neath the foot-guard, as shown on each side its thickness may be reduced about one- 40 the crotch-rail in the frog yiew in Fig. II. thirdthatis, to about one-quarter of aninch. Fig. VI is also a like view to Fig. IV, and Thelength of the foot-guards as at present shows a bifurcated re-enforce spring riveted constructed is about twenty-five inches, more to the foot-guard plate beneath the same, its or less, except with those located in front of forked ends arranged to slide under pressure the frog and between the point V-rails of the 45 on the foot-flanges of the respective frog-rails. same, which, especially the latter, are of ne- Fig. VII is also a similar view and shows a oessity of somewhat longer dimensions-the combination of the forwardly-presenting refirst-named about thirty-six and the latter enforce springs shown in Figs. V and VI. forty-four inches long, more or less. Fig. VIII is a like vertical sectional view to 10 represents a forwardly-projecting rear- 50 that of Fig. III and taken on the same line, attached re-enforciug spring, (see Figs. V and and shows the spring footguard in the posi- VII,) which is secured in position beneath the foot-guard by the same spikes that hold said guard, which pass through registering spikeholes in the re-enforee spring and alike numbered with those of the foot-guard, and the said spikes being driven into the ties, both the foot-guard and its re-enforce spring are thus firmly held in position, and the curvilinear saddle 11 at near the forward end of said re-enforce spring re'enforces and stiffens the spring of the foot-guard under pressure as it rides thereon.

12 represents a forwardly-presen ting bifurcated spring, whose rear end is secured, preferably, at about the middle of the footguard and beneath the same by the rivet or rivets 13. The forwardly-projeeting sprawl-forks ll of said spring (when the foot-guard is depressed by the flanges of thewheels of the passin g trains) slide alon on the foot-flanges 15 of the rails, so as to stiffen the foot-guard under its extreme pressure. (See Fig. VI, in which said bifurcated re-enforce spring is shown attached by itself beneath the foot-guard, and Fig. VII, in which it has the coadjutant assistance of the rear attached spring 10, heretofore described.)

The foot-guard that seals the foot-trap be tween the approaching rails in front. of the pointrails of the frog is of necessity of somewhat diiferent construction to those at the guardrails and other points, for the filling ahead of said foot-guard between the guardrails and the frog-point might preventthe downward movement of the T-flanges if placed at the extreme forward end of said foot-guard, and also the slide" movement of the straddle-forks of the re-enforce spring on the foot-flanges of the rails if they had a forward proj eetion would be bu ifer-stayed by the same impediment. To avoid said interference the foot-guard that faces the V-point of the frog hasa bifurcated re'enforce spring 16, with a rearward instead of forward projection, its forked end 17 sliding backward instead of forward on the fOOiJ-ll3JlgOS of the rails. The said re-enforce spring is secured beneath and to said foot-guard by the rivets 18. A forward extension 19 of the re-enforee spring-plate is turned down pendent from the foot-guard, and at its lower extremity carries a T-flange similar to that on the forward end of other foot-guards and alike numbered, which, when the foot-guard is depressed by the flange of the wheels of the passing train, rests on the foot-flanges of the rails out of interference with the filling-block that embeds the point-rails of the frog, and said T-ilange holds the guard captive from springing upward above said rails. Pendent wings 20, turned down at a right angle from the above-described foot-guard, (shown in Fig. IX,) laterally hold the re-enforce spring in position, and thus reenforee its riveted attachment, and at the same time add stiffness to the foot-guard.

A rearsupplemental spring-plate 21 is secured at its rear end beneath the foot-guard by the rivets The forward end of said spring-plate passes between the foot-guard and its re-enforce spring and stitfens both.

The foot-guard that seals the trap presented by the aperture between the point-rails of the frog, as said aperture is of a more acute angle, is of necessity longer than the others above described. Like all the other footguards, its normal position is flush with the surface track, but, unlike them, its normal position may be its constant position also, for it is not required to spring down under the pressure of the flange of the wheels of passing trains, as are they, as it is located on the reverse side of the rails to that traveled by said flanges, and its forward point may rest 011 the bevel edge of the point-rails or be supported by any suitable means. As this latter foot-guard has no spring movement, it need not be made of steel or other spring material, but may be constructed of iron or any other suitable material thatwill not succumb under the pressure of the switchmans or employs foot or that of any other man. The formation of said foot-guard and its means of attachment, however, are substantially the same as are those previously described, and are alike numbered.

The SDI'll'lg-StOBl footguards are all capable of sustaining a weigh-t of about three hundred pounds without depression below the surface flush-line of the rails, and may be made to sustain a heavier weight, if desired; but it is scarcely possible that any employs on the track will ever go above that weight. On the other hand, when the flanges of the wheels of the passing trains ride over the footguard, it readily springs down the two inches, or thereabout, that constitute the depth of said flange without injury to the foot-guard, and as readily, after the passage of the train, springs upward to its normal position.

\Vhile it has been truly stated that springsteel is preferably used in the construction of the foot-guards, yet I do not confine myself to the use of that material, for plow-steel or any other suitable material may be used; also, while the preferred length of the guardrail foot-guard is about twenty-five inches, of that facing the frog-point about thirty-six inches, and of that within said point fortyfour inches, yet to accommodate certain constructions of frogs and guard-rails, &c., the length may be considerably increased or diminished without any departure from the essential features of the invention.

The danger to life and limb of the deadly frog, as it is aptly termed by railway employs who have witnessed so many of their fellow-workmen fatally trapped thereby as the advancing train runs over them, is thus avoided.

The filling very commonly used in States where there are statutory provisions to enforce the use of foot-guards, having, like all unyielding attachments, to stop short by two inches of the summit of the rails to allow the passage of the wheel-flanges, is frequently found worse than useless, as it allows abundant latitude for the sole of the employs shoe to be tightly clamped between the filling and the top flange of the rail, while, unlike my spring foot-guard, the very filling meant for a safeguard prevents the lowering and dislodgment of the foot.

As yard-master of the St. Louis and San Francisco road, and previously in other yards during the last seventeen years, I have lost thirteen men whose lives might have been preserved had this foot-guard then been in use; but the above fatal accidents that I have personally witnessed are but few comparatively to those occurring along the various lines of rail. Thus, according to the record of the Switchmens Association of the United States, two hundred and two employs have been thus trapped and run over within the last seven years, besides accidents that have occurred in foreign territory.

It is hoped that the Oflioe will excuse this concluding statement, made to show the necessity of the invention-a necessity that is generally acknowledged by railroad men.

I claim as my invention 1. In a foot-guard for frogs, &c., the combination, with the convergin grails, of the spring guard-plate arranged between said rails and provided with a forward T-flange bearing normally against the under side of the railheads and adapted to rest on the rail-flanges to stiffen the spring when the latter is depressed, substantially as set forth.

2. In a foot-guard for frogs, guard-rails, switches, 850., the combination of the spring foot-guard plate 6, provided with the forward integral T-flange 9, that when said plate is depressed rides the foot-flanges of the rails and stiffens said guard-plate, and limits its elevation when it comes in contact with the ball of the rail, and the converging rails, the foot-trap between which said foot-guard stops or seals, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a foot-guard for frogs, guard-rails,

switches, &c., the combination of the spring foot-guard plate 6, provided with the forward integral T-flange 9, the rear attached re-enforce spring 10, and the converging rails, the foot-trap between which said foot-guard stops or seals, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a foot-guard for frogs, guard-rails, switches, 850., the combination of the spring foot-guard plate 6, provided with the forward integral T-flange 9, the rear attached re-enforce spring 10, the bifurcated centrally-attached re-enforce spring 12, the forwardlyprojecting forks of which springs 12 are arranged to ride the foot-flanges of the rails when the foot-guard is depressed, and the converging rails, the foot-trap between which the said foot-guard stops and seals, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a foot-guard for frogs, guard-rails, switches, &c., the combination of the spring foot-guard plate 6, provided with a T-flange, and the bifurcated re-enforce spring arranged under plate 6, said T-fiange arranged to ride the foot-flanges of the rails when said footguard is depressed by the flange of the wheels of passing trains and limit its elevation when it comes in contact with the ball of the rail, and the converging rails of the frog, &c., the foot-trap between which the said foot-guard stops 0r seals, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a foot-guard. for frogs, guard-rails, switches, 850., the combination of the spring foot-guard plate 6, tapered to fit the aperture of the frog, &o., provided with an extension T-flange, and the bifurcated re-enforce spring riveted to the under side of said spring footguard, with the converging rails of the frog, &c., the foot-trap between which the said footguard stops or seals, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

EDIVARD S. MAI-IONEY.

In presence of- BENJN. A. KNIGHT, SAML. KNIGHT. 

